The Dragon Lord: Someone To Watch Over Me
by HistoryLights
Summary: Sequel to The Dragon Lord Saga It's been two weeks since Bilbo bound Smaug and things are going... about as well as one can expect. As they make their way to the mysterious homeland of the Dragons, Bilbo must embark on a journey of his own self discovery as well as care for a young runaway prince. This was not what he expected when he signed that ridiculous contract.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Kili hated being cold. Wasn't it just his luck that tonight had to be one of the coldest nights yet? Pity that it was such a pretty night as well. There was not a star in the sky, nor any wind to make the nearly unbearable temperatures even worse. There was just him, his uncle Bilbo and the dragon Smaug around the cheerfully flickering fire pit.

It was also his birthday. Not that he had told anyone.

Bilbo was just so stressed lately and Kili was almost positive that the hobbit wasn't entirely healed. No matter what he told him, the young dwarf could see when the hobbit winced or limped. It made him so mad that at times he wanted to turn around and yell and scream at his uncle for what he'd done to him.

That wasn't an option of course. Thorin would probably kill him the second that he saw him.

The young one sighed heavily as he thought about his family. What would Fili be doing right now? Was he busy learning how to be a good heir to the throne? Did his brother even miss him at all?

"What are you thinking about over there?" came Bilbo's soft voice from beside him. Kili startled. He hadn't realized that the hobbit had moved from his spot by the fire. He felt something soft being draped around his shoulders.

"We may have the advantage of having a dragon travelling with us, but we still need to bundle up. I'd feel awful if you got sick." Bilbo said sitting down beside him. The hobbit was dressed in more layers than Kili had ever seen him wear before. Thick woolen trouser covered his legs and went all the down to his ankles. His coat was bigger than the one that had been destroyed in Erebor and instead of being blue, was now a red color that resembled the hobbit's original jacket. Around his neck was a soft, warm scarf.

Kili wore similar clothing to his friend with the exception that upon his feet he wore thick, hard toed boots. Bilbo absolutely refused to buy a pair, saying that Hobbit feet were sturdy and would be able to withstand the cold of the North.

Kili accepted the blanket and buried himself in it. "Thank you, Uncle Bilbo," he said. Bilbo smiled and gently ruffled the boy's hair.

"You still haven't told me what's on that overactive mind of yours." Kili snuggled into the warmth of the blanket.

Over the last few months, Bilbo had taken on more of a guardianship of the dwarf. He always made sure that Kili received enough food and was warm enough when they slept at night, even sometimes going as far as sacrificing his own rations and comfort. It made Kili very reminiscent of when he was much younger and his family barely had enough to get by in Ered Luin. He was grateful of everything that Bilbo had done for him, especially given what he had been through himself.

Smaug had assured him that the initial effects of the binding ritual had worn off but the lasting ones. Kili looked into Bilbo's multicolored eyes, the sign of his sin, according to Smaug.

Bilbo had done the unthinkable. He had bound a dragon against its will. And he had done it to save his family and give them back a home.

And what had been his reward? Banishment. He'd been thrown to the side and left for dead. Sure there had been a dragon to help mend his wounds but the fact remained that no one, not his brother, not anyone who had the nerve to call Bilbo a "friend" had come forward to defend him against Thorin.

"I'm just thinking, Uncle Bilbo." Kili said softly. "How much farther is it until we get to the North?"

He heard a low growl from across the fire. Both of them looked up at the humanoid dragon. Smaug didn't really look much different than he had when they had left Erebor. He still wore the same long black leather billowing coat except now there were tiny sections of red filtered throughout the coat, mimicking the scales that he had lost. He still wore long black, extremely tight trouser tucked into knee length black boots.

He human face was thin and angular, his cheekbone high. His eyes still retained a reptilian like quality. They mirrored Bilbo's to show who he had been bound to.

"We are attempting to locate a nest of Dragons who may or not be in one of the most secluded and unexplored regions of Middle Earth," he snapped. "How much further do you _think _we have to go Boy?"

Kili shrunk back from the biting tone. Even in human form, he still found Smaug utterly terrifying.

"Don't you speak to him like that, you great brute," hissed Bilbo. "It isn't his fault we're like this. If someone had just been a better look out, perhaps we'd have more than the clothes on our backs" Kili paled. No matter how terrifying a dragon was though, an angry Bilbo would probably always scarier.

The tension between the two adults became almost palpable. It seemed like the two would never stop arguing.

"No, the child is not the one who bound a dragon with knowing how to break it. He should not even be here in the first place, _MASTER."_

Bilbo leapt up, his eyes blazing. "You know good and well why he is here. What would you have me do? Turn him over to the very King who has threaten to him with death should he ever return? Are you really that cold hearted?" he yelled. Kili shrank back, feeling awful.

Smaug glared at Bilbo from across the flickering flames. "You cannot even care for yourself properly and you expect to be able to care for a child? How are you going to protect him if you cannot even teach him what he must know to survive?" he said.

"Dragon Lord he might be, but you've not the skill nor the knowledge to teach him."

Bilbo didn't respond. He stood in front of the fire, eyes wide.

"I believe I shall turn in early tonight," he said quietly. He turned away from his companions to the small tent they had purchased in a little town a few weeks ago. A shuddering breath and he was gone.

The air around the remaining two was nearly stifling in its quiet. Smaug appeared undisturbed by the argument. Kili had burrowed himself deep into his blankets so that only the top of his head was visible.

"You should join the Hobbit, Dwarfling." The dragon drawled out. "We have a long way to go tomorrow. We wouldn't want you getting tired. _Master_ will be even more airheaded than usual if he has to fuss over a child all day."

Kili sniffed, "I'm not a dwarfling," he said even as he stood to go crawl into his bedroll, next to Bilbo.

This by far had been the worst birthday ever.

Prologue/End


	2. Missing Piece

Missing Piece

It was the knocking that woke him up, which was only irritating because he had only just managed to fall asleep a few hours ago.

Fili didn't sleep much anymore.

He sighed as he opened his eyes. His room was dark save for the tiny slits cut into the side of the mountain. Save for them, Fili would have no idea what the time was inside the stone walls.

When the knocking sounded again, the young prince growled softly to himself.

"Enter," he rasped, throat dry from disuse.

The door opened and in walked Balin, dressed in fine robes of red and golden thread. The seal of the Line of Durin was embroidered on one shoulder sleeve, marking him as an advisor to the King under the Mountain.

"What do you want, Balin?" Fili asked. The old dwarf came into room cautiously.

"Fili, Lad," he began. Fili fought to roll his eyes. "You have been hiding from your duties for two weeks now. Don't you think that it is time that you came out and attended at least one council meeting?"

Fili huffed, "That depends. Will the king be in attendance as well?" Balin gave a sigh.

"Aye, you know that he will, Lad. Your uncle-"

"He is not my uncle," Fili spat, sitting up and glaring at the old dwarf. "The one who sits upon that throne is no kin to me and I'll thank you to not imply otherwise."

Balin stared in dismay at the prince for a few minutes and then shook his great white head. "Of course, Lad, I understand," he said sadly. "I shall inform his majesty of your continued indisposition." He gave a quick bow and retreated from the room.

When he was alone again, the crowned prince flung himself back against his pillows with an exasperated growl.

If any of them thought that he was just going to forget what they had done, they would be sorely mistaken. He wouldn't forgive any of them.

He laid back with his eyes closed thinking. The sun was glowing brightly enough that he could just barely make out the shapes around him.

The rooms that he had been given were situated right next to Thorin's. He'd been told that they had once belongs to Thorin himself when he was the crown prince. They were decent enough with nothing in them but his bed and a bedside table. A door in one corner led to a medium sized bathroom, complete with a tub and a washing basin.

It had been two weeks since Smaug and Bilbo had been banished. The restoration of the mountain kingdom had finally gotten to the point where they could begin accepting refugees from the Blue Mountains.

The first caravans had arrived only a few days ago filled with mostly unmarried men and women offering their help to finish restoring their home. Those with families would come at a later date when the mountain would be safer for little ones.

As it stood now, there was still much that had to be done. The damage that Smaug had inflicted when he had attacked was extensive. There had been whole rooms desecrated and entire mine shafts that had collapsed under the weight of a thrashing overgrown lizard.

It was all so daunting that Fili hadn't known where to start. At the very least, he'd thought to himself, he and Kili could keep each other company.

But the morning after Thorin had banished hobbit and the dragon, it seemed that Kili had also fled the mountain. Fili found himself waking up alone in the small corner he and Kili had huddled themselves into the night before.

He'd been confused at first, then frantic with scenarios, ranging from his baby brother walking off a ledge trying to find a place to relieve himself to Smaug deciding that he needed one more dwarfy snack for the road, running through his mind.

He'd just about gotten up to find one of the others to ask if they had seen his brother when he spied the note.

It was placed just beside his pillow. How had he missed it? Honestly, if it had been a snake it would have bitten him.

He'd picked it up though what he read, however, both confused him and made him sink to the ground in dismay.

"_Dear Brother," _it began in Kili's messy scrawl.

"_I'm fine-well not really I guess. But it's okay because I will be. Fine, I mean._

_I can't do this, Brother. I wanted very much to be like the rest of you, but I'm_

_not. I'm not like you. We've always known this but now, I think I can finally_

_accept that. I can finally accept me._

_I know that you're probably really confused right now. I know that I definitely _

_would be. Please let me try and explain._

_I'm the same as Bilbo, Fili. I'm a dragon lord. I knew it as soon as Smaug _

_said that only those with dragon blood in their veins could read the words._

_That's the reason I've got to go. Uncle would never accept that one of his _

_heirs has dragon's blood. So I've decided to follow after Bilbo. He'll take me in,_

_I know that he will._

_Please don't try and come after me. I've made my decision. You've got a life in Erebor. _

_Don't ruin that. I know that you'll make a great king_

_someday. Maybe an even better one, now that you don't have a kid brother_

_to look after now._

_Tell Mother that I love her and that I'm sorry. And if Uncle ever comes back,_

_tell him that I'm sorry too. _

_I love you, _

_Kili"_

Fili stared at the letter. When had Kili written this? How had his missed his younger brother leaving in the night? Had they really become so foreign to each other? When they were kids they could communicate with a single glance and now Kili was saying that he was some sort of monster with the power to control dragons? There were so many questions running through the blonde's mind, and none of them had answers.

That's where they'd found him, hours later, staring blankly at the wall, parchment clutched in his hand.

Thorin had snatched the letter from his nephew and read it with a critical eye. "So," he said calmly. "Your brother has gone to the traitor." Fili looked up at the man he'd known all of his life in wonderment. There was no love in the dwarf's tone nor any of the fond exasperation that his uncle usually had when speaking about his brother. In this moment, Fili could not recognize the dwarf that was his uncle.

He hastily tried to take the letter back. If his brother truly was gone, then the letter was all he had left of him.

"Uncle, Kili is just confused," he tried to reason with him. "Let me go and find him. We can talk this out-"

"Be silent, nephew." Thorin snapped and Fili took a step back.

"Thorin," said Balin warningly as he gestured to put his hand on the King's shoulder. Thorin shrugged him off as he advanced on the boy.

"Why do you wish to leave to follow that traitor? Are you not my loyal nephew?" he'd asked menacingly. Fili took another step and tripped over his own feet. He stumbled and fell back into the wall.

"I-I just want to bring my brother back," he stammered.

By now the rest of the dwarves had gathered around the small group.

"Here now, Thorin," said Bofur. "Ease up now, the lad is just concerned for his brother." His uncle's glare remained steady. Fili swallowed, more afraid of the dwarf than he'd ever been in his life. Visions of Bilbo's bleeding and beaten body had filled his head.

With a huff, Thorin turned and strutted off back toward the mounds of treasure. "Know this," he said as he walked. "Anyone who goes after them, _anyone_, will join them in banishment."

Fili blinked away the tears that burned behind his eyes. Remembering that day hurt more than anything. He'd not only lost his brother that day, but he knew that his uncle was gone as well. He did not know who the dwarf who wore his uncle's face was.

Not for the first time, Fili wished that his mother was here with him. She would have straightened them out in a heartbeat.

He sighed and turned on his side. Burrowing in his blankets once more, he tried to forget about his troubles.

Sometime later, though how much later, Fili was unwilling to admit considering that the lighting was quite a bit dimmer than when he fell asleep, he heard yet another knock at his chamber door. He groaned and rubbed his face in his pillow. His confrontation with Balin, had completely filled his social quota for the week.

Since Kili had left, he found himself secluding himself more and more. He'd always been more of a loner anyway and Kili had been the social butterfly, always dragging his older brother into whatever mischief he'd found that day.

"Um, Fili?" came the quiet and timid voice of Ori. Fili sighed and stretched out. He wasn't going to answer. The whole company knew where he'd be.

"I'm just going to leave this here, outside the door then," he said. "Um, please come out soon. We all miss you."

Of all of the company, Ori was the one who he felt the least amount of ire toward. He knew that Ori had liked Bilbo just as much as he and Kili had and was the only one besides them who had tried to get Thorin to see reason.

Perhaps he would go and see his friend later. He owed him that much at the very least.

The crown prince stayed in bed until he was certain that the scribe was gone. Groaning, he slithered out of bed. He ignored his growling stomach and peeked out through a crack. Certain that there was no one around, he opened the door fully and looked down the brightly torch lit hallway. Sitting in front of his door was a tray of food. It wasn't much; a loaf of bread, a hunk of Fili's favorite cheddar cheese, and a cup of black tea. There was also an oil lamp with a match, as well as a piece of parchment. Fili blinked and picked up the tray carefully so that he wouldn't spill anything and brought it inside his room. He set the entire thing down on the table and pulled up a chair.

He lit the lamp first and squinted as it blazed to life. Next he took the folded parchment from the tray and unfolded it. The note wasn't very long and was very neatly written. The words made Fili feel a little lighter and he had to smile and shake his head fondly.

"_Fili, meet me in the library tonight after dinner. _

_I think I may have found something to help Kili and Bilbo._

_Of course, I don't actually expect to see you at dinner, though _

_it would be nice for you to get out of that room. Anyway, the _

_dining hall will be empty in about three hours if you aren't _

_sure of the time. _

_Please come. _

_Ori"_

For the past two weeks, Thorin and the council had been insisting that Fili stop this nonsense and accept his place as the crown prince. No one had tried to speak to him about Kili, let alone Bilbo. Leave it to Ori to be the one. He sighed, nothing was getting done with him lazing about like a great berk. He needed to get out.

'Three hours huh? Dinner must have just started then.' he thought to himself. He looked down at the tray in front of him and back to the note and he made his decision.

After he finished his meal, he got up and went to rifle through his closet for something to wear instead of his well-worn bed clothes. He bit his lip, the library... Maybe he could hide in there until Ori showed up. He was sure no one would bother him in there.

He nodded to himself and took a deep breath, glad that he now had a plan. He quickly changed clothes, splashed some water on his face and made his hair look semi presentable. He would not wear the royal braids. He saw no reason to.

He looked himself over briefly in the mirror in the bathroom, and steeled his nerves. He could do this for his brother, if nothing else.

He doused the lamp and quietly snuck out of the room, relieved when he ran into one.

"My lord, Fili has refused to leave his chambers once again, I'm beginning to grow concerned."Balin squinted in the dark light of the fireplace. Thorin stood in front of it, glaring at the flames.

"Let him continue with his tantrum. He will soon see that it will make no difference." he said darkly. Balin pursed his lips.

"Thorin, your nephew is just a child. A child who has lost his brother, mind you. Don't you think that you should go to him?"

"Do you think that I've been too hard on him? That I should give him special treatment.?" Thorin growled. Balin knew that he was in dangerous waters. He was not dealing with a reasonable individual right now.

"Of course not," he said. "I trust your judgment, my king, you know that. But Fili is still young and cannot see the wisdom in your decisions yet."

Thorin did not answer for a long time. When he finally turned to face his friend, all Balin could see was darkness in his eyes. There was nothing left of the dwarf that he knew.

"Fili will have to grow up one day. That or he will waste away in his chambers, moping. I have no time to deal with an impudent child."

He strode passed the old dwarf, out of the chamber. Balin could only close his eyes against the wave of disappointment he felt.

Thorin was lost in the throes of madness and it would only get worse. There was a darkness eating away at his friend and Balin didn't know if he could help him.

Chapter one/End


	3. Lonely Hearts

Lonely Hearts

"_What are your conditions?" asked Balin wearily. The tone left a near physical ache in Bilbo's chest. _

"_Smaug, stop!" he cried. "Please don't hurt him!" The dragon turned toward the hobbit, a sneer staining his handsome features._

"_And why should I?" he asked. "I kill the dwarf now, you and I go free. Why would you beg for such a wretched excuse of a dwarf? Smaug stared down at the hobbit for a beat and then smirked._

"_Oh I see," he said, wrenching the dwarf king up by the lapels. "You are in love with him, aren't you?"_

_The cavern fell into silence. Bilbo stared in horror at the dragon. Had he really been so easy to read?_

_There was a snarl from the king. Thorin's face was contorted in such a fierce look of disgust that it made Bilbo sick to his stomach. _

"_I have no need for a traitor's love," he snapped with dark soulless eyes glaring at the hobbit before him._

"_Thorin…" Bilbo choked. If the hobbit thought that his heart could break no further… well obviously he was wrong. This couldn't be happening._

_He fell to his knees. "Thorin, I am begging you to listen to me!" His pleading fell on deaf ears._

_At length, Smaug released the dwarf and stepped back._

_Bilbo chewed his lip. Nothing seemed to be working. The dwarves all stood against him. Where had they all come from? Why did they all have to denounce him?_

"_Take him if you wish him to live, and know that no friendship of mine goes with him…"_

Bilbo sat up, breaths coming in as short gasps. He put his head in his hands, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

Just a dream.

He took deeper breaths, trying to calm himself down. From beside him, he could hear the sound of Kili snoring gently. He glanced over at the young dwarf, curled peacefully at his side. He looked deep in sleep with one of his hands clutching at his pillow and the other holding the folds of Bilbo's blanket.

The sight served to calm the hobbit down enough to remind himself that yes, he was still banished from Erebor, but all was not really that bad. Thorin had never found out the truth at least.

A shout from outside drew his attention from his thoughts. Oh, so that was what had woken him up…

He sighed. He really should be getting used to this.

It had been the norm for the past two weeks now. Ever since leaving the mountain, it seemed like trouble followed them wherever they went. There was no help to be found in the town of Esgoroth, so they had decided to head north.

The first couple days were the hardest as neither Bilbo, nor Smaug, had any idea what lay beyond the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo had never been this far east, and Smaug had only seen the northern lands from the sky and was very unused to seeing things from the ground.

As if the constant glaring as they walked wasn't enough, the dragon would smack his hand on one of the many trees that surrounded them. Or purposefully knock his foot against a very sturdy rock in their path, if only to have that echo of pain in Bilbo's own body.

Bilbo was far too heartsick and emotionally drained from his confrontation with Thorin to deal with this.

"Look," he said when he had finally had enough. They sat around a fire -courtesy of Smaug- with Bilbo shivering against the chilly mountain air. "It's bad enough that we're out here without any food nor blankets, but there's nothing we can do about that right now so we're going to have to make do. It's obvious that you don't like me, and I understand, really I do, but nothing is changing anytime soon so I suggest you stop being so petty and get used to it."

Silence reigned between them. They never actually talked about what happened though Bilbo could tell what Smaug was feeling without any words. That was the nature of their bond now, if what he had read was correct. He and Smaug were now one soul living in two separate bodies. Not only would he feel Smaug's physical pain and vice versa, the connection also intertwined with their individual emotions.

No, if Bilbo had understood the book, then that meant that he and Smaug's lives were completely entwined. Each of them would only live so long as the other did. If one of them died, so too did the other. And there was no way, so far as he could tell, to go about breaking such a bond.

Had this been a mutual bond, where Smaug had willingly agreed to be bound to him, they would have agreed to help one another, so long as they were useful. If not, then they actually had the option of splitting the bond and going their separate ways. They would still take a piece of each other with them, but all together, the bond between a Dragon Lord and a dragon was meant to strengthen ties between the two, not to anchor their souls forever. A strong Dragon Lord was one who was able to bind with many dragons over the course of his life.

"Stop that," said Smaug. Bilbo looked across the flames at him with an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't say anything," he said. Smaug only rolled his eyes and put his face in his palm.

"You were thinking, it was annoying." Bilbo snorted.

"Perhaps you should just retire, if my thinking causes you annoyance."

Smaug huffed, "I suppose it's worth a shot. It's better than watching your hopeless face screw up trying to find a solution to the mess you've gotten us into." Smaug got up from the log he had been lounging on and walked a short distance away from the fire and settled beneath a tree to rest.

Silence overcame them once again. Bilbo's mind drifted back to the reason that they were even out in the wilderness to begin with.

"_Hmm, my conditions you say?" smirked Smaug, the king under the mountain pinned under his boot. "What would you be willing to give me for his pathetic life?" The air in the cavern was tense. "Would you willingly bow to me? Hm? Or maybe my Pliso and I will rule this mountain together-"_

"_Origato jacion gethrisj!" Bilbo said. He couldn't stand to see Thorin brought so low, no matter what had happened between them. Smaug glared at him, fiercely but let go of the dwarf. _

"_What did he say?" whispered Fili. Bilbo didn't pay him any attention. _

"_Trust my bad luck to give me such a kindhearted fool of a master," Smaug said and stepped back from the dwarf king. Thorin coughed and turned to his side. _

"_Get out!"he rasped. Dwalin instantly went to help him up, but Thorin pushed him away as he clambered to his feet. "GET OUT!" Bilbo held his ground. There was rage in the king's voice, but underneath it the hobbit could hear an underlying pain. Was the real Thorin trying to fight his way out?_

"_I have no use for a traitor in my kingdom," he continued. "You and that filthy worm will leave my lands or so help me-" Bilbo couldn't believe what he was hearing._

"_Thorin please, let's just talk about this," he leaned forward in an attempt to place his hand on the dwarf's shoulder._

_Thorin swiped at the hobbit's advance roughly. He stared at Bilbo with an unreadable expression in his dark eyes. "A life for a life; my debt is repaid. Do not return if you value your life."_

_Bilbo's eyes began burning from unshed tears. Had Thorin just BANISHED him?_

"_Thorin-" he choked out, his knees starting to shake. He looked to his other companions for help, surely one of them would support him. He was dismayed when none of them, not even Fili or Kili would meet his eye._

_So that was how it was then? He had served his purpose and now it was time to throw him away._

_Fine then. That was just fine. Hurt and betrayal coursed through him as he steeled himself with his head held high and looked Thorin, the man he had once considered his friend, dead in the face._

"_If that is what His Majesty wishes," he said stiffly. "Then I shall take my leave. I wish you all the luck in the world. Let's go, Smaug." He did not bow for this imposter, whom held none of his respect, and walked away. His body was sore and aching, but he limped with pride for he had nothing to be ashamed of. He gathered Dancing with Dragons under his arm and hobbled through the archway._

"_Enjoy your barren kingdom," spat Smaug, following after him._

_Once they reached the bottom of the mountain, he was accosted by the rest of the company worried by Bilbo's hurried state and roughed-up appearance. They couldn't let him leave like this without an explanation of his anger and as to the identity of the stranger that accompanied him._

"_For Eru's sake," hissed Smaug._

_Bofur tried to catch Bilbo's arm to stop him when Bilbo finally spoke. "If you wish to know, ask your precious king!"_

"_I don't care what happened, Laddie," Bofur urged. "Ye've saved our hides more times than I can count, and I can't imagine anyone had the right to treat you that way, not even Thorin."_

_Bilbo smiled sadly, glad that he still had some allies among the dwarves._

"_Yes, how touching," sneered Smaug. "Your sentiments are useless however, now if you excuse us,"._

_Bofur glared at the dragon, "What are you going to do about it?"_

_Smaug grinned menacingly, ready to take on another dwarf. _

"_Please don't," Bilbo said, putting his hand on Smaug's arm. The dragon was quite a bit taller than he, so he probably looked like a child asking for his father's attention. "He's right Bofur, what's done is done. Thorin and I have made our choices and now we have to live with the consequences." He could feel more tears start to sting his eyes. "I'm just happy that I was able to travel with you all for so long, please for my sake, stay safe."_

_With that, he and Smaug went through the throng of confused dwarves. He couldn't hold back the single tear that slipped from his hazel eye, and down his cheek. He didn't look back, he couldn't. If he did, then he was certain that he would break down completely. _

At first, the only time the two of them spoke was to argue, not that they had ever stopped arguing, but the hobbit found that even though Smaug had to be one of the most haughty and insufferable beings he had ever had the misfortune to meet, he also understood the dragon's vulnerability. Smaug was just as lost at what to do as he was.

From the Mountain they went Northwest, back along the edges of Mirkwood to camp for the night. Bilbo knew what he had done, and he wasn't about to reverse it but he also didn't want Smaug to know that. The unspoken question of what they were going to do now was actually answered by Smaug.

"Now that we have escaped from your _lovely_ companions, perhaps you could turn me back into my original form?" Smaug asked.

Bilbo paled. He bit his lip and tried to avoid answering. "Um...why? D-don't you like this one? It's very fetching." Smaug gave him an unimpressed look.

"Barring the glaringly obvious flaws with this body, I would like to be able to fly again to get further away from these disgusting dwarves, so if you please."

The hobbit chewed his lip. "Funny story...I ah... don't exactly know how to-"

Smaug put up a hand to stop him. "Let me get this straight, you mean to tell me that you _bound_ me and you have no idea what you are doing?"

Bilbo blushed. "W-well.." Smaug let out a loud growl.

"THIS MUST BE A JOKE OF COSMIC PROPORTIONS THAT MANWE DEEMED YOU WORTHY ENOUGH TO BIND ME!"

"Now calm down Smaug. I have this book..." Bilbo pulled the book from his pack where he had stashed it in their flight down the mountain.

"Well get reading!"

Bilbo did just that. He flipped hurriedly through the pages, anxious to find something, anything at all. But there was nothing.

"Well?" asked Smaug impatiently leaning Bilbo's shoulder. Bilbo huffed in frustration.

"Look, I didn't exactly go into this with an after plan. I didn't even know that I _could _do this until a month ago, so I would appreciate it if you didn't carry on like that." Smaug was visibly shaking with anger. He was stuck in a tainted bond with a Dragon Lord who might as well have been an infant, or a toddler, or worse, a dwarf!

The dragon took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. Hurting the small creature would do him no good.

"Fine," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Lucky for you, I have an alternative solution."

"We should travel to the Withered Heath. There may be a nest of my kin there who can help us." Smaug suggested. "They may know of a way to change me back to my original form. If not, then at the very least they will know of someone who can make you not as useless." he said.

Bilbo wilted at the 'useless' comment. It reminded him of the way that Thorin had viewed him at the beginning of this wretched journey.

Very few people ever went north into the mysterious Withered Heath. Or so Smaug had said. Bilbo wasn't sure if he really wanted to find more dragons, he could barely handle one; but it gave Smaug some sort of purpose so there was that he supposed.

"If you had bothered to stop playing in your head for five seconds, you'd have noticed that we're being watched." Just as the dragon finished saying this, Bilbo heard a twig snapping somewhere off in the trees by his side. His eyes narrowed as he looked toward them.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" he hissed. "We're just a tad vulnerable right now."

Smaug shrugged. "If the child wanted to hurt us, he would have done it when he first started following."

Bilbo's eyes instantly cleared and he blinked in confusion. "Child? Are you sure it's just a child?" Smaug gave him a look that clearly said, "_obviously" _ The hobbit got up and went to where he'd heard the twig snap. His hand caressed the hilt of his little sword lightly.

When he reached the treeline where he thought the sound had come from, he pulled out Sting from its scabbard.

There kneeling behind a particularly thick-trunk-ed oak, was a wide eyed Kili. As soon as he saw who it was, Bilbo immediately dropped his sword.

The boy looked absolutely horrid! His hair was a complete nest of tangles, it looked like it hadn't been brushed in a week. Kili had always been a bit on the thin side, but now his face looked much thinner than it had when he'd seen him last. He was pale and his face was extremely dirty, but despite the dirt and grime that covered him, two features stood out the most.

Kili had a cut on his upper lip and a bruised-black right eye.

"By the gods," he gasped. He dropped to his knees in front of the shivering young dwarf. "Kili, what in Yavanna's name are you _doing _here?

Kili averted his wide brown eyes. "H-hi Mr. Bilbo..." he stammered. "Mind if I tag along? I seem to have lost my family..." Bilbo sighed in irritation. How had the boy tracked them down so easily? He fought down the angry voice telling him to send the boy back to his traitorous uncle.

"Oh nevermind," he said. "Yes, of course you can," he led Kili away from the edge of the forest and the fire. He sat him down and gave him one of their sparse blankets to warm him up. He was grateful beyond belief that Smaug did not say anything, though, Bilbo could tell that he was less than pleased. He eyed the dwarf from the log he lounged on across the fire.

Kili said nothing for awhile and simply allowed the hobbit to fuss over him. He stared into the orange flames, a haunted look on his face. It was obvious that there was something that he wasn't telling the hobbit, but Bilbo did not have the heart to try and force it out of him.

After thirty minutes, Bilbo could do nothing else. He flopped down on the ground next to Kili and sat in silence.

It was Smaug who actually broke the strained silence between the trio. "So, the dwarf-king has sunk so low as to attack one of his own has he?"

Kili froze. He glared at the dragon from where he sat. "What would you know about it?" he spat. Bilbo stared at in horror at the young dwarf.

"_Thorin_ did this to you?" he asked. He was in shock. Thorin Oakenshield would never had dared touch his nephews in such a way. Not the man that he knew. Thorin loved his family with all his heart. Anyone with eyes could see that. "Please tell me that Smaug is lying."

Kili shrunk in on himself and Bilbo could see the truth in the frightened stance. The hobbit felt a fresh wave of fury toward the dwarf-king. How dare he? How dare he touch Kili like this. He fought to keep calm so that he wouldn't scare the boy any further than he already was. It was difficult, but he managed after a few minutes.

"Kili," he said as gently as he could. He lifted the young dwarf's chin up with his hand. This was a delicate situation and he knew he had to proceed with caution. "Tell me the truth. Did Thorin _hit_ you? Is that why you followed us?" Tears welled up in Kili's eyes and he began to sob bitterly. He spoke no words, and only let his cries tell his story.

Instantly Bilbo took him in his arms and the young dwarf clutched onto him like a lifeline.

"Oh, spectacular," Smaug scoffed. "You've made the child cry. Top notch parent you are." Bilbo didn't answer, he was much too concerned with the broken boy in his arms...

Bilbo sighed. No, the last two weeks had not been easy. He glanced to Kili as the boy blinked his eyes opened, awakened by the noise from outside their tent.

"What's going on Uncle Bilbo?" he yawned. There was another interesting tidbit. Kili had yet to actually speak about what happened to him before he was found. He seemed to prefer to pretend that it had never happened. The morning after he joined them, he'd started calling Bilbo uncle. Bilbo knew that he was going to have to ask, but he found that he just didn't have the heart to. Kili would talk only when he wanted to.

"Stay here and keep warm, I'll check out what going on." he told Kili. Bilbo stretched and crawled out of the tent opening on all fours.

It was an amusing site indeed that he found waiting for him.

The fire was still burning strong and bright. Smaug looked as if he hadn't moved from the spot where he'd left him. He was lounging on the same log. It was the figure beside that had Bilbo fighting to hold in his laughter.

It was a Man, unconscious with a full pack of supplies laid open beside him. Bilbo looked at the dragon with a raised eyebrow. Smaug stared back at him and shrugged. He was twirling a gold piece in his long fingers.

"What's happened out here?" Bilbo asked. Smaug grinned toothily.

"We had a 'situation'," he said. "I handled it, you're welcome."

Bilbo rolled his eyes. "Wonderful. You're not hurt are you, I didn't feel anything in the tent."

"Then clearly I'm not injured. Pack up, we need to move."

Bilbo sighed. Just once he'd like to stay in one place for an entire night. Moving continuously from place to place, night after night was getting exhausting.

"Couldn't we just stay here?" he asked. "It's late, we're not going to get to the North without sleep."

Smaug glared at him. "It would be equally as difficult to do so dead." he said. He heaved himself up. "There's a town not far from here. I'm sure we could find lodgings there."

That caught Bilbo's attention. "A town? How could you possibly know that?"

Smaug rolled his eyes. "Obviously, the Man who attacked us." Bilbo looked to the man and then back to the dragon, confusion clear on his face.

"For Melkor's sake. Look him. Pack freshly filled, his clothing looks freshly cleaned as does he. His money purse has some gold coins in it as well. The only place that he could have secured all this is a town. The fact that all of them were done recently, must mean that there is one close by. He was coming from that direction so I purpose that is where we head as soon as possible as I, for one, am tire of sleeping on twigs."

"No, I'm sure sleeping on a bed of gold is much more comfortable," Bilbo said dryly. He was impressed with Smaug's observations but after two weeks, it was getting a little old.

Smaug pouted slightly. "Go get the kid, and let's be off." Bilbo grinned and turned back to the tent.

"Yes, yes, alright your Highness..."

The library was dim when Ori stepped into it. The dwarf was glad to be out of the dining hall. Being around the company these days was draining. He liked the quiet calm of the written words that surrounded him. He'd been given the title of Head Librarian, a title that his brother was incredibly proud of. According to Dori, it was proof that their family was moving up in the world.

It had come at the terrible price of a dear friend but the rest of the company seemed content to forget about that.

Well everyone except Fili and him it seemed. The blonde prince had been in a constant state of depression since that fateful day weeks ago. Ori wasn't sure just what exactly had happened and no one had deemed him important enough to explain anything.

All he knew was what that Bilbo was a self-declared Dragon Lord and he had bound the dragon Smaug to him and now both of them had been banished from Erebor permanently.

He didn't understand what all of it meant, but if there was one thing that he had learned in his years as apprentice scribe, it was that you could learn just about anything from a book.

So he perused the shelves of the large stone room searching for any hint of the name dragon lord. He was lucky that the library was one of the room in the mountain that hadn't had nearly the amount of damage as the main veins.

There wasn't a whole lot. In fact, there was barely anything on the subject. It was frustrating. There were scrolls on the art of Herbology and where the high elves descended from but nothing about Dragon Lords.

He didn't know how many days that he searched, but with each passing day, he grew more, irritated with the lack of information. He was about to go and demand Balin explain when he finally found it.

It was an old scroll, dusty with time and disuse. Ori figured that no one had read these words in centuries. It was entitled: _The History of Magical Entities. _

Ori was growing excited. He skimmed the line of runes eagerly, search for anything that matched what he was looking for.

Finally, he came across a single title and he nearly shouted in triumph. The section wasn't long, maybe six, seven paragraphs in total. But it was a start.

The scribe was so happy. He knew who he had to show this to. But would Fili see him was the question. The prince was reluctant to see anyone these days, but hopefully with the information that he had gathered he'd be willing to speak with him.

The scribe was already in the library when Fili dared to venture in. Ori was sitting at one of the long wooden tables near the front of the room, pouring over some manuscript or other. Fili smiled at the sight. It was a familiar one and it was one that comforted him. The entire library smelled of ink and old parchment. Rows upon rows of shelves and cases lined the walls making the cavern seem larger than it was.

It was dim, the only light coming from the candles and small oil lamps that littered the tables spread all throughout the library. It held a homey atmosphere that Fili felt the rest of the mountain lacked.

"So," he asked, walking up behind the older dwarf. "What's the subject today? Lost languages of the Tree-Shaggers?" Ori jumped and looked behind him with wide eyes.

"Mahal, Fili!" he breathed. "You nearly scared the life out of me." he said. Fili couldn't help but grin.

"Thank you for the tray," he said, pulling out a chair to sit next to his friend. "It was very thoughtful of you."

Ori smiled, a light blush staining his face. "Oh, it was no trouble. I figured you couldn't have been eating very well stuffed in those chambers, and well," he shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "I thought you could use some human interaction of the non-royal variety."

Fili cleared his throat and looked away. "Sorry about that, I've been throwing a right tantrum lately haven't I?" Ori was quick to shake his head.

"Oh, I wouldn't blame you for that, Fili," he said. "I've barely spoken to my brothers since Bilbo and Kili left. Well, I've barely spoken to Dori at any rate and Nori seems to have vanished, not that I'm not used to him doing that. He used to up and go all the time when we lived in Ered Luin-"

Fili laughed quietly, cutting him off "Ori, you're rambling," he said gently. The ginger-haired dwarf ducked his head and laughed.

"Yeah, uh, I do that sometimes when I get nervous." he said. Fili raised an eyebrow and sat back in his chair.

"I make you nervous?" he asked. "C'mon Ori, I thought we were friends." Ori shook his head at him with a fond smile.

"We are friends," he said. "I guess I just don't want to disappoint you with what I've managed to find..."

Fili sat up straighter, suddenly remembering the reason he'd finally left his rooms. "Yes, and what exactly have you found...?" he asked.

Ori took a breath and turned back to the parchment he'd been reading when Fili had walked in. "It isn't much, I warn you," he said. "But it's enough to get us started." Fili leaned forward with interest. Ori cleared his throat and began to read,

"_When the World was still young and the mountains had just began to peak, the peoples of Arda lived in blissful harmony with one another. There were no wars, nor acts of violence committed against one another..."_

Chapter two/End


	4. Of Knights and Kings

Of Knights and Kings

Fili was feeling good. Ever since his meeting with Ori in the library a week ago, he'd felt somehow lighter. It felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from him and he was ready to take on anything.

Talking with the ginger dwarf had been immensely therapeutic. It turned out that Ori had actually been arguing with Dori, who tended to have more traditional dwarvish views of the world and it saddened Fili. Bilbo and Dori had been on the way to becoming good friends when the hobbit had bound the dragon and now, because Bilbo was a little different than them, the eldest Ri brother along with most of the older dwarves wanted nothing to do with the hobbit.

"Dori says that what Bilbo does is unnatural," Ori had complained.

"Well, I say that he's just a stuffy old, closed minded fool. Bilbo had to have his reasons." If what the myth they had found was correct, then Bilbo had little choice. It was the only logical solution for getting rid of Smaug. Bilbo had used his birthright to help the dwarves. Manwe had, for whatever reason, deemed the hobbit and apparently his brother, worthy of wielding these powers. The rest of them had no right to condemn what the gods themselves judged as right. However, there was a frustratingly small amount to read about the Dragon Lords in the library.

So they turned their research skills- well Ori's research skills- to the dragons themselves. And again, there was precious little on the subject. The few books they did find mostly contained warnings of the dangers of the beasts.

After a week of nothing, the two nearly gave up. "Well," griped Fili, flinging himself onto the table in frustration. "It's pretty clear that Bilbo didn't get the book from this library."

Ori nodded in exhaustion. "Well, obviously, considering we found the book outside the mountain." he said.

"Don't be rude," sniffed Fili. "And here I thought you were kind and generous."

Ori laughed merrily. "Shows how much you know, my prince. Did you forget that I'm related to Nori?"

Fili rolled his eyes. "I can see the family resemblance," he said. He laid his head on the table. "Though

I wonder where Bilbo could have gotten the book, if not from here."

Ori paused to think, "Well, he didn't have it when we were captured in Mirkwood; we lost most of our things in the forest."

"Yeah, but he must have had it in that strange pack when we got to Laketown," Fili said. "He must have picked it up somewhere in between.

Suddenly, Ori slammed down a hand on to the table, making the blonde prince jump. "That's it!" he cried. "He must have gotten it in Mirkwood and I'm sure the elves have a much larger library than Erebor and we were stuck in there for so long..." 

He was grinning madly as if he had just solved all of their problems, but poor Fili was just as lost and confused as ever.

"And that helps us...how?" he asked. Ori rolled his eyes.

"You dolt," he said with a fond smile. "If we can somehow sneak into the palace, we might be able to find more information. Elves keep a record of nearly everything that happens in Middle Earth, and they are practically immortal. They're bound to have something!" 

Deciding to ignore the insult on his intelligence, the crown prince frowned at the plan. "Yes, and I'm sure that Thranduil is just going to let us waltz right into his kingdom with nary a care despite the fact that we were being held prisoners? And you're assuming that Thorin is even going to allow us out of this godforsaken mountain," he said bitterly. Ori wilted some. They weren't exactly on speaking terms with the elves of Mirkwood. Thranduil was probably still pretty miffed at the fact that the company had managed to escape from right under his nose.

And Ori knew that there was no arguing with His Royal Madness. The scribe thought for a moment. How were they supposed to sneak out of the mountain. His brother kept close tabs on him- even if they weren't speaking- and Fili was a prince, his every move was bound to be monitored.

"Well," he said slowly. "We wouldn't have to tell anyone where we're going. We could make up a story about going to Laketown for supplies or something and then sneak off from there."

Fili nodded. "Yeah! I could say that I got a message from Tessa asking me to come immediately." Ori smiled. This could actually work.

"Okay, we'd better go. Keep this quiet, we don't want anyone else knowing about our plan. I'll meet in your room with lunch in two hours." Fili nodded and watched as Ori quickly gathered up the books and scrolls scattered on the table.

"Right, I'll see you then," he said and the two conspirators split ways.

Fili could barely contain his excitement now that he had a plan to leave the mountain and was finally going to get some much needed answers. Everything was looking a little brighter.

He was fighting the urge to whistle a merry little tune when he arrived back to his rooms. He stopped suddenly, the door to his room was cracked open.

Fili took a deep breath. It was probably just one of the maids who'd stopped by to clean and had forgotten to close it all the way so there was no need to be so nervous. Besides, he was a battle-trained warrior, who had faced a swarm of orcs and wargs without much fear. But somehow, Fili still had a bad taste in his mouth.

Swallowing, he pushed open the door fully and walked in.

Balin was standing in the middle of his rooms staring at a piece of paper. Fili paled, wondering frantically where he'd put the letter from Ori at.

Balin was the king's adviser. If Balin knew that he and Ori were trying to help Kili and Bilbo then Thorin would definitely find out and if Thorin found out... well then it would get nasty for everyone.

"Um, hello, Balin," he said stiffly. He had to play it cool. He couldn't ruin his and Ori's newly formed plans so soon.

The old dwarf looked up from the piece of paper he'd been reading. He stared at the young prince with an unreadable expression on his face.

"It's nice to see you out and about, Fili." he said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. Fili did not

respond, preferring instead to focus on a stray thread that had come undone from his tunic.

"Are you ignoring me, young prince?" Balin's asked with a slight frown.

"Well, I couldn't stay in here forever," he mumbled. Balin smiled softly. Sometimes it was hard to remember just how shy and reserved Fili actually was. He was very much like Thorin in that regard- quiet, responsible, and forced to grow up far too soon. Unlike Thorin though, Fili still had a chance to escape the curse of the line of Durin.

The lad was just about as innocent as they came. He really didn't know much about the world outside of his own little corner, and though he was as fierce a fighter as many seasoned warriors, he was still just a boy, not even passed his majority yet.

Balin would give anything to protect that. He would also give anything to not send the boy into the lion's den, but it was necessary. If Fili was going to be Erebor's next king, he needed to step up. The council had to see him as the crown prince without any faltering. Fili needed to start making allies and building favor with the council if he ever wanted to take the throne someday. The game of politics was a difficult one whose rules were constantly changing and it was high time that Fili learned to play.

"Uh, is there any particular reason that you're here?" Fili asked awkwardly. He really didn't want to talk to the older dwarf right now.

"The king has requested your presence in the throne room. I'm to bring you as soon as you are presentable," Balin said.

Fili froze, his breath catching in his throat. The king had summoned him? The dwarf whom he'd not seen nor spoken to since that day in the treasure room.

"W-what," he stammered. "What does he want?"

"I do not know, Your Highness, but you should not keep him waiting."

Fili went to his drawers and pulled out his hand-woven tunic with the Durin seal upon the breast and nodded. He knew that he would have to face Thorin eventually.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He could handle this, it was only his uncle after all. Albeit his insane and possibly dangerous uncle, but still his uncle.

"Well, then," he said, gesturing back toward the door. "After you."

Balin hesitated and sighed heavily. "Listen, Laddie," he said earnestly. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but please, for all of our sakes, try and keep your head about you. You are the best chance this kingdom has and we are all counting on you."

'Right, so no pressure then,' he thought as the older dwarf walked past him and toward the door.

The nervousness that gripped the young prince as they neared the throne room was enough to nearly make him sick. He tried his damnedest to steady his breathing and to _not _throw up. When they finally reached the great stone arches that marked the entrance to the king's throne, Fili noticed the stone-faced guards from the Iron Hills. He couldn't help but feel slightly intimated by the coldness of these unknown dwarves and he shrunk back slightly. Neither of the guards paid either dwarf any mind.

Fili stilled just inside the entrance and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. He could do this, one meeting with Thorin; he'd say some pretty words and promise to do better and then he and Ori could leave this accursed place.

"Come along lad," said Balin. "And walk straighter, you're a prince of Durin." Fili pouted but did as the adviser said. He'd have to perform his part and perform it well, if he wanted the king's blessing.

He steeled himself and followed Balin into the Great Hall. Fili had yet to set foot inside this part of the mountain, but looking at it now, the whole place took his breath away.

Torches were scattered along the wall, the light bouncing off the many gems and precious jewels that were inset in the stone. There was a long runner made of deep red cloth that went from the entrance all the way to Thorin. The king sat upon the centerpiece of the room, made of pure white marble with glittering blue sapphires inlaid along the arm rests. Centered above the throne, right above Thorin's head, was the glowing Arkenstone. Fili felt sick just looking at the damn thing. It reminded him of the ones the company had lost.

Thorin sat straightened, staring regally towards them as he watched Balin and Fili approach.

"His Royal Highness, Prince Fili of the Line of Durin and Lord Balin, son of Fundin, High Chancellor to the king." A guard announced. Fili had to fight not to roll his eyes. _That _was his _title_? Ye gods, couldn't they just say, "Hey Fili's here! Everybody wave and say 'Hi!'"

Thorin stood up and walked toward the two. Outwardly, there seemed to be no change in the dwarf. He was still the strong and proud man that Fili remembered from his childhood and he practically oozed majestic-ness from every part of his body. He wore a tunic of deep gold under robes of dark blue, his graying black hair was neatly braided in the royal fashion, marking his status as king. On top, he wore the traditional crown of Erebor, refurbished and polished.

He embraced Balin when he met them in the middle of the room. "Well met my old friend," he said, pulling away. "And I see you've brought the stray along with you." The words were said in jest, but the undertones held something far darker, something that Fili was unwilling to put a name to.

"G-good afternoon, Your Majesty," said Fili with a deep bow. He stayed in position until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stood up with his back straight and head held high. He tried not to show how nervous he actually was.

"I would not have you afraid of me, Nephew," said Thorin solemnly. "You are my loyal kin, the only one that I have left."

Damn. Fili felt the words like a physical blow, and suddenly, he wasn't so sure about the plan. Could he really leave his uncle? The dwarf who had lost so much over the years and who had done his best to raise Fili and his brother like they were his own? Could he really betray him like this?

But a voice whispered to him, one that sounded suspiciously like Bilbo, "_This is not your uncle. You are doing this to save your family. Do not give up now." _He nodded mentally. He had to do this. Thorin would forgive him eventually. He had to.

"I do not fear my uncle," he replied calmly. And it was true. Fili was not afraid of Thorin. He knew that his uncle loved him, but he did not know the stranger who stood before him now. He had no way of knowing what he was capable of doing.

The dwarven-king smiled at his crown prince, pleased with the answer. "Good. I would have that we talk as equals once again." He looked to his adviser. "I will speak with Prince Fili privately, my thanks Old Friend for delivering him."

Balin looked hesitant to leave the boy alone, but did as his king commanded with a bow. Fili watched after him with wide eyes.

It didn't take long for the old dwarf to exit the throne room and suddenly, Fili was all alone with the mad king. Somehow, this felt like a supremely bad idea to the young prince.

Thorin sighed and relaxed his pose. The two dwarves stood in silence, and Fili couldn't stop himself from fidgeting nervously while Thorin studied him through unreadable eyes.

"Balin tells me that you have finally decided to venture out of your room," he smiled and for a moment, Fili could pretend that this was just an ordinary day back in the The Blue Mountains. "I am glad to hear this."

Fili gave him a weak smile in return. "I grew tired of staring at the ceiling." he said. "And Ori asked for my assistance in the library."

Thorin nodded and turned to walk back to his throne with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked as relaxed as Fili had ever seen him. "That is fine for now, Fili. But do not forget your station. You are a prince of Durin- of Erebor, and now that we have reclaimed our mountain and our gold, you must conduct yourself as such. No more of this moping about."

Fili breathed in deeply. It was now or never. "Actually, Your Majesty," he started. "I would ask a favor of you, if it is acceptable." Thorin stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at the younger dwarf.

"A favor?" Thorin asked quietly. He sat at his throne and gestured for the young prince to come forward. "And what favor would you ask of me, Nephew?" The dwarf-king's voice was calm and jovial, as if amused by Fili's request.

Fili would not make a mistake, now that he was so close to his goal. He advanced cautiously until he was standing directly in front of the king. "Yes...Uncle. I wish to visit to Laketown."

Thorin's eyes went cold. Fili swallowed thickly, he couldn't back down now.

"I-I've received w-word from a friend in the c-city," he stammered. "Her father has passed and she is inconsolable. She requested my urgent presence and I seek to comfort my friend in her grief. I wouldn't be gone for more than a few days and, upon my return, I would dedicate myself to becoming the Crown Prince..."

Thorin's glare was so cold, the young prince felt his skin turn to ice. He was silent for a moment, and when he finally replied, his already deep voice had taken on an even more graver tone. "You wish to leave the mountain do you?" Thorin paused. "You would abandon your duties and leave... for a human girl?"

Fili felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. "N-no of course not!" he was quick to defend. "I would never aban-"

"_Silence!_" Thorin shouted and stood up. Fili shut his mouth with a click. This was definitely not turning out the way he'd imagined it. "I cannot be bothered by some silly childhood fancy. You have a duty to this kingdom."

"This is not a fleeting crush uncle. She sold Kili and I supplies when we were-"

"That is enough," the dwarf-king growled. "I'll not hear another word of this."

"But Uncle!" Fili pleaded.

With a nearly inhuman speed, Thorin was in his face, his hands gripping the startled boy by the shoulders and shaking him violently.

Fili yelped at the grip. "O-ow," he gasped. This was escalating far quicker than he'd wanted.

"Have you heard nothing that I have said, you self-absorbed brat?!" Thorin hissed. Fili's own self control snapped.

"I am being self-absorbed?" he shouted back. "I didn't find you so generous with words when you punched my brother and _banished_ Bilbo. And for what? Doing what you couldn't? What, you couldn't handle having your precious glory taken away from you by a simple hobbit?"

"How dare you speak to me in this manner, Nephew."

Fili knew that this was a mistake the moment the words left his mouth. Thorin was dangerous in this state of mind with his actions and emotions completely unpredictable. But somehow, the dwarf prince couldn't seem to bite his tongue.

"Bilbo was right," the blonde spat. "You have no more right to wear that crown than Azog."

Fili didn't know why the slap surprised him but as his head snapped violently to the side, he thought about how stupid he had been.

"Do not mention that name!" screamed Thorin brokenly. "The hobbit _betrayed_ us. Betrayed me!" The dwarf-king's voice had taken on a desperate tone. It almost sounded like Thorin was trying to convince himself of his own lies. Fili went in for the kill hoping to shake whatever ills had befallen Thorin.

"Bilbo betrayed no one, Uncle," he said. "He did what only he could. He saved us!"

"NO!" roared Thorin, picking the boy up and shaking him. "I will hear no more! I would kill you before I would forgive that Limlug Seron. Do you hear me?"

He shook Fili viciously as the prince fought to escape his grip. "Please, Uncle," Fili pleaded desperately. "I'm sorry! Let me go, you're hurting me!" He could not stop the frightened sob that escaped his mouth.

It was like a switch had been flipped. One second Fili was suspended in the air, mind clouded with terror; the next, he was laying on the cold stone floor, gasping for breath and his face smarting something awful. He could feel the strong sting of tears burning his eyes but he willed them away, now was not the time to show them.

The prince stared up at the man he had once considered a father figure. How had it come to this? Where had his strong and sturdy uncle gone?

One thing was for sure, whatever had made the king let go of him, was certainly not there now. His eyes were still as dead as ever, and filled with a never ending darkness.

"Know this," Thorin said stiffly, stalking toward Fili menacingly. The young prince scuttled backward away from him.

"I spare your life because you are my kin. Cross me again and you may not be so lucky."

Neither of the guards paid any attention to their limping prince as he walked out and away from the room. Thorin's words echoed in Fili's mind so it was as if the king continued to hurl insults at him long after the assault. He was tired and sore with a dark bruise forming on his right cheek just below his eye. He was also fairly certain that Thorin had left some lovely ones along his arms where he had gripped him.

By all accounts, he had gotten off lightly. Bilbo and even Kili had been in much worse condition after their encounters with Thorin. He should consider himself lucky.

By some miracle he saw that he had made his way to the rooms that Ori shared with his brothers. It was not yet dark outside, Dori would probably still be at work. They could sneak away now, no one would know the difference. They could be halfway to Mirkwood by the time anyone would think to search for them. And he would never have to worry about being in the grips of the mad king again.

With a shaking hand and red rimmed eyes, the blonde prince knocked on the heavy wooden door, hoping and praying that his friend was home.

It looked like Mahal was giving him a break for once, for no sooner had he lowered his hand when a shout came from inside the room. "Just a minute, please!"

Fili huffed a grim laugh at his friend's politeness. The door opened to reveal a slightly flustered looking Ori and Fili felt a wave of relief wash over him. It had only been a few short hours since they had last seen one another, but after seeing Thorin, it felt more like years.

Ori gasped upon seeing his prince in such a dismal state, especially since it was most definitely _not _the state that he had left him in. His clothes were rumpled and askew, his hair was disheveled and his face; he looked as if he'd taken a huge beating!

"What's happened to you?!" the young scribe exclaimed. He caught sight of the prince's trembling lip and ushered him inside the room before he completely broke down.

He led Fili into the brightly lit rooms and sat him down in the sitting room. Fili rubbed his arms, wincing as he passed each bruise. Ori sat next to him. All around the rooms were travel bags and supplies, spread out and sorted into different piles.

He sniffed again. "I want to leave now," he said. "I don't care what we have to do, I just can't stay here any longer!" he was sobbing into his hands by the time he finished. Ori said nothing, simply allowing his friend to let go of his emotions.

Fili continued to cry for a few minutes before getting some control over himself. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, his breathing heavy and shaky.

"Feel better?" Ori asked gently. Fili nodded and slumped against the scribe, too exhausted to do much else.

"I still want to leave right now," he said.

"What happened?" Ori asked, trying to maneuver around the blonde. "You were perfectly alright earlier this afternoon. And where on earth did you get that bruise from?" Fili took a shaky breath and told Ori what had happened in the throne room. When he was through, the prince was surprised to see the scribe's lips pulled tight and his brown eyes were nearly black with anger.

"Or..i?" he asked hesitantly. Ori closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Right," he started slowly. "Well as infuriating as this is, we can't deviate from the plan." Fili blinked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, scooting away from his friend. "After what he's done? You think I'm just going to stand here and take it?" he was glaring at the scribe, ignoring the slight twinge from the pull in his cheek.

Ori was quick to explain. "No, of course not! In fact, just the thought of Thorin doing something like this makes me angry beyond belief. You're the third person that he's hurt like this and it isn't right, King or no."

Fili relaxed. "But why can't we leave now then? We could be gone and away before anyone realizes it-"

"Or Thorin could have the entire guard watching you now that he thinks you're going to leave." Ori pointed out.

"Oh, Well. Good point." The prince pouted. "Well what are we supposed to do then?" he asked.

Ori sighed. "We stick to the plan," he said simply. "We gather as many supplies as we can over the next couple days while the heat dies down a bit, and then we'll just have to sneak out. I've already told Dori that I'll be away on official library business for a few days so I'm covered. We just need a way to get you out..."

The two friends continued to plot a while longer before Fili sighed. "I don't know how else we can perfect this plan, Ori," he said tiredly. "Why don't we just sleep on it and talk in the morning?" Ori nodded.

"Yeah. Remember, it's just for a bit longer. Be strong Fili, I know you can do it."

He sniffed pathetically as he walked back to his rooms. The day had started out so nicely and now, all Fili wanted to do was run away from this accursed place and never return. He opened his door and wasn't surprised to see Balin in his room. However, he found he really didn't want to speak with the adviser of the king.

"Mahal's Beard Laddie! What have ye done?" Balin hissed when he saw him. Fili sent the guardsman a baleful glare and did not respond.

"That is not what I meant when I told you to have a cool head, Lad." Balin reprimanded. Fili blinked in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I warned you not to antagonize him," said Balin with reproachful look in his eye. "You should have known better than to make him angry."

Fili couldn't believe what he hearing. Was Balin actually _blaming_ him? How could Balin possibly think that any of this was his fault.

"I don't understand..." he whispered. "You think I _wanted _Thorin to hurt me? You think I asked him to hit me?" The tears were back and this time, Fili let them fall. This entire miserable day was just getting worse. Never before had he felt this horrible. He didn't know if he could make it until tomorrow. He tried to focus on Ori's voice in his head, telling him to just be patient, to be strong.

"Of course I don't think that, Laddie," Balin soothed. "Thorin's actions are not your fault. Of course they're not, I didn't mean to make you think that Fili. Calm down, that's it."

It took awhile for Fili to stop. Once the flood gates were opened, they were not easily closed. Fili knew that he should have been embarrassed by his display, but at that moment, he was too heartsick and far too exhausted to even begin to dream about caring.

Once his cries softened, Balin drew the boy into the sitting room.

"Now, I don't know what it was the you and Thorin spoke about, but he had absolutely no right to lay his hands on you." Fili nodded numbly, not really listening.

"Maybe it was my fault," he whispered sadly. "Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a crown prince..." Balin sat the blonde down on one of the plain couches.

"None of that Laddie," he reprimanded sternly. "You're still young and you've got plenty of time to learn what you need to."

Fili stared up at him through watery blue eyes. "I just wanted to go to Laketown to see Tessa. I-I didn't think he would get so angry." He sniffed wetly and stared at his shaking hands.

Balin knelt in front of the young prince. "Laketown?" he asked. "Now why would you need to go there?"

Fili shrugged. Maybe he could convince Balin to let him go, Thorin be damned. "Ori mentioned something about going to get some supplies he needed for the library. I thought that I might accompany him and see Tessa as well."

Balin studied the young prince in silence for a moment. The sniffling and forlorn picture that the boy painted nearly broke his heart. He was so young and so unused to such harsh treatment. He sighed. He could give him this. Just this once.

"When were you and Ori planning to take this impromptu holiday?" he asked. Fili looked up at him with big watery blue eyes and sniffed.

"We were going to leave tomorrow morning. We didn't want any fuss, we just wanted to leave for a few days."

Balin sighed again. "As long as it's just to LakeTown," Fili's eyes brightened considerably. "But you will take one of the company with you, if not a guard." The prince hesitated for just a second before nodding emphatically.

"Of course Balin!" he said. It was a small price to pay, but he and Ori could always ditch whoever came with them in a pub or something. "I promise, you won't..."

Thorin stood by the fireplace in his rooms. A missive from LakeTown clenched in his hand. The letter had come earlier that day via a raven from Ered Luin.

Dis was coming to Erebor. According to her letter, she would arrive in the mountain within a fortnight. The king was trembling, his meeting with Fili had gone less than spectacular. He had planned on telling his nephew when he came to the throne room. Why was the boy so hardheaded, he should have just listened to him. He wouldn't have shaken him if he had just listened!

He hadn't meant to scare him, but he had been so angry. Hearing Bilbo's name... that traitor... he had already taken and corrupted one of his nephews and now he was trying to steal the other from him.

He crumpled the parchment in distaste. He would not allow it. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, calming himself.

He opened them slowly and unclenched his fist. He stared at the letter once more, without feeling, and let it fall into the flames.

These words meant nothing to him. He didn't need Dis to rule this mountain. He didn't need anyone.

Chapter three/End


End file.
